Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, standing in front of the Capitol dome last week, says he wants to see a candidate for governor who has "an ambition for the state and a vision for its future that I can be excited about."

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper ended months of speculation Monday with an announcement that he would not run for Colorado governor, giving a boost to fellow Democrat Bill Ritter’s campaign and opening the door for other potential challengers.

Joined by his wife, Helen Thorpe, on the grass between city hall and the state Capitol, Hickenlooper said he still had to finish a lot of goals he set for the city.

“One of the reasons I ran for elected office was I wanted to show … that people could put the good of the city above their own personal ambition,” the mayor said.

Hickenlooper, a Democrat, declined to endorse Ritter or say definitively that he would support a Democrat in November, sparking continued speculation about the harm he might be inflicting on his party.

If other Democratic leaders, who were waiting to see whether Hickenlooper was entering the race, also don’t throw their support behind Ritter soon, the state party may see further splintering between moderates and the more liberal elements opposed to Ritter’s Catholic stance against abortion.

“If they aren’t willing to rally around him and are open to someone else coming in … who is a more liberal candidate, it could mean a fairly divisive primary and could result in the more liberal candidate winning the primary but not the general election,” said University of Denver political science professor Seth Masket.

Ritter, who said Hickenlooper notified him of his decision Monday morning, said he felt a “sense of relief” that he didn’t have to face Hickenlooper in a primary and didn’t harbor any resentment toward the mayor. He also said he had been traveling around the state talking to voters while Hickenlooper had been mulling over his options.

“We’ve been well served by focusing on things we can control,” Ritter said.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar said recently that the Democrats should unite behind one candidate. He was unavailable for comment Monday but is holding a public event today addressing the governor’s race.

But while some Democrats want to rally behind one candidate, it isn’t guaranteed to be Ritter.

State House Majority Leader Alice Madden of Boulder said she is considering a run and will talk it over with her family this weekend.

“I need to decide what my best role is: continue fighting for the majority in the House or throwing my hat in the ring for governor,” she said.

Her potential candidacy sparked the interest of state Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Jefferson County. When asked whether she would urge Madden to run, she said: “I certainly want to go over and have that conversation with her.”

Although many well-heeled donors were waiting on the sidelines until Hickenlooper’s decision, it’s unlikely all their contributions will be funneled to Ritter.

Some more liberal Democrats are still concerned about Ritter’s position on abortion, and many members of the business community, who often back Republicans, are expected to support Congressman Bob Beauprez.

Additionally, some big Democratic donors who are largely credited with the Democratic 2004 takeover of the statehouse don’t appear to be jumping on Ritter’s campaign bus just yet.

Al Yates, a spokesman for Democratic donor Pat Stryker, said the billionaire heiress has not endorsed Ritter. And Ted Trimpa, an influential Democratic lobbyist and political adviser to major Democratic donor Tim Gill, also did not name a favorite.

However, he said: “No matter what we do, we need to be solidifying around a candidate soon.”

Pat Waak, head of the Colorado Democratic Party, said Ritter was “rarin’ to go” but that the doors were still open for another candidate to get in.

“It’s not too late,” she said. “If someone wants to get in, then do it.”

Ritter is facing state Rep. Gary Lindstrom of Breckenridge in the Democratic primary. Republicans Marc Holtzman and Beauprez are facing off in the GOP primary; Republican incumbent Bill Owens has served his limit of two terms. Both Republicans called Hickenlooper a “class act” and said they respected the fact that he called Monday morning to tell them of his decision.

That may pay off down the road. When asked whether Hickenlooper would back the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, he responded: “It depends.”

“I want to see an ambition for the state and a vision for its future that I can be excited about,” he said. “Whoever becomes governor, I will have a great working relationship with.”

Many political observers say that the pragmatists in the Democratic Party may prevail, eventually coming forward to throw their total support behind Ritter. While Colorado Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 172,000 votes, unaffiliated voters outnumber Democrats. Ritter’s moderate views, combined with his stance against abortion, may help him nab some Republicans as well as a huge number of unaffiliated voters in the general election.

“He’s a crime fighter, has an independent mind and is not a partisan,” said political analyst Eric Sondermann. “The Democrats that have prospered statewide are those with an independent streak.”

What the mayor has said

Despite longtime speculation that Denver
Mayor John Hickenlooper would run for
governor, over the past year he has repeatedly
said he likes being mayor and
did not expect to seek the higher office.

“Every day, I get to help people find solutions
to the problems that are affecting
their quality of life. It’s hard for me to
imagine doing anything else at this point.
My wife would shoot me.”

January 2005, to Channel 12talk-show host Aaron Harber

“I honestly don’t think I’m going to run.
I’m not looking at it. I’m not investigating
it. I’m just focusing on running the
city. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in
this business, you never say never.”

April 2005

“The truth is, I love being mayor. For
who I am, it’s a great job.”

August 2005

“I have to look at where I can do the
most amount of good. I need to look at
what’s best for the city, the state, and
my personal sense of engagement and
satisfaction.”

Democrats Ed Perlmutter and Jared Polis have joined their Republican congressional colleagues in backing legislation that would allow the Bureau of Land Management to relocate it headquarters to the West, and possibly to Colorado.

Two conservative taxpayer advocacy groups filed suit Wednesday against new Denver campaign finance disclosure rules for issue advocacy committees that they say will violate the privacy rights of their donors.